The Lower East Side’s new Essex Market has finalized its food vendor list with four more eateries.
Don Ceviche, Happy Pig, Mille Nonne and Heros & Villains are newest on the list of 38 vendors opening at the new 37,000-square-foot market at 115 Delancey St., which is triple the size of the existing Essex Street Market across the street at 120 Essex Street, according to the city’s Economic Development Corporation. The planned opening is this spring.
The vendors are bringing a mix of cuisines to the market: Don Ceviche offers Peruvian food, Happy Pig makes vegan Southern barbecue, Mille Nonne serves Italian comfort food, and Heros & Villains takes a cue from the corner bodega and makes carefully crafted sandwiches.
They join 24 existing vendors at the current Essex Street Market like Davidovich Bakery, Luis Meat Market, Top Hops To Go, Arancini Bros., Dominican Cravings, in addition to 10 new vendors such as Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, Josephine’s Feast!, Flower Power Herbs, Sugar Sweet Sunshine and Local Line by Exit9 also opening at the new location.
"These four new restaurants contribute to a solid lineup of establishments that embody the diverse immigrant history and innovative spirit of the Lower East Side," said Dominic Berg, Community Board 3’s Essex Crossing Task Force chairman. "To think that a hundred years later Mille Nonne and its modern vegan options would fit so well alongside Happy Pig’s innovative vegan barbecue shows that the relocated Essex Market will continue to have something for everybody, including the growing vegan market.”
The new market, located on the ground and mezzanine floors within the new Essex Crossing development, is big enough to feature two full-service restaurants, a demonstration kitchen, and nearly 40 food, art, music and fashion vendors.
Planned for a late April or early May opening, the EDC and Lower East Side Partnership are also looking for an artist to create a mural inside the new facility before it opens to the public.
The project is outlined in a public Request for Proposals, which specifies that the mural would cover a large wall above the demonstration kitchen’s entryway.
Applicants are asked to familiarize themselves with the "legacy and sentiment" of the Essex Street Market and create a mural that is inspired by those ideas.
"When designing the new space, we were very focused on continuing to pay homage to the Lower East Side’s rich cultural history,” NYCEDC president and CEO James Patchett said in a statement provided to amNewYork. “The neighborhood’s art, music, and food scene all contribute to its vibrant culture, and our goal is to capture that through this commission. We thank the Lower East Side Partnership for their support on this initiative, and look forward to seeing all of the submissions.”
The winning artist will be provided $10,000 to complete the mural. Applications are due before midnight on Feb. 18.
